Of Family and Fireworks
by jellybean96
Summary: It's the Fourth of July once again for the Ward family and their closest friends. . . Part of the Max!Verse.


**Hey babes! Happy Fourth of July to all of my American followers on here. Hope you're all having a fun/safe holiday.**

 **Got a new one-shot for ya. This one is inspired by the world I created with a friend of mine over on Tumblr, the Max!Verse. It's a very cute universe, if I do say so myself, and we've created it through messaging back and forth, as well as various inbox prompts for different occurrences within the universe that take place much later down the timeline than what we're currently writing about in our messages.**

 **If you're interested in that universe, there are a few pieces for it written by my friend, over on Archive of Our Own. All you gotta do is search for Max!Verse in the Agents of SHIELD tag, and you should find it.**

 **Anyway, this is cute little Fourth of July one-shot that I felt inspired to write because of a prompt my friend sent me earlier this morning.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Rolling over in the bed, Grant's brows furrow at the feeling of something cold and wet pressed against his face. Cracking one eye open, he smiles softly at the German Sheppard standing next to the bed, his mouth open and panting with his tail wagging rapidly behind him.

"Hey, Captain," he says in a raspy voice before swallowing. "Happy Fourth of July."

Captain lets out a bark.

"Shh, be quiet, boy. Don't want to wake mom up before she's ready."

"Graaant…tell your dog to be quiet."

Grant sighs. "Too late." He rolls over in the bed to face his half-asleep wife, her hair spread over her face, one arm tucked up under her pillow. "Sorry about that," he says to her. "I know you like your sleep."

"Yes I do," she grumbles before using the hand that was under her pillow to brush the hair out of her face and look at him. "Which is why I yet again question our decision on having two kids and two dogs. Between the four them I get pretty much no sleep. I love our kids, believe me, I do, but it's been almost eight years since I've been able to get a full night's sleep. I miss sleep, Grant."

Grant smiles and leans forward to give her a quick kiss. "You stay here for a few minutes and wake up. I'll make sure the kids are up, dressed, and eating breakfast."

She gives him a sleepy smile. "You're the best. I love you."

"I love you too." He throws the covers off of his body and makes his way out of the bedroom to the rest of the house, Captain following dutifully behind him. "You hungry, boy?" he asks the dog.

Captain lets out a bark and hurries toward his food bowl.

Grant smiles and moves over to the two sets of dog bowls and fills them with food and water before taking a step back and allowing Captain to start eating.

Walking back down the hallway, he knocks on the first door he comes to and then pushes it open, smiling at the sight of his son lying spread eagle on his back fast asleep, his blanket all tangled up in his legs.

"Adian," he speaks up as he steps into the room and over to the bed. "It's time to wake up, kiddo."

Adian stirs in his sleep and then breathes in deeply as his eyes start to open. "Hi, dad," he says, stretching his arms above him.

Grant smiles down at the eleven year old. "Hey, bud. Time to get up. We've got a big day ahead of us. Your aunt and uncles are coming today for fireworks."

Adian smiles. "Cool. What's for breakfast?"

"I was thinking pancakes. Now hurry up and get dressed while I go wake up your sister." He turns around and makes his way back out of the room, stepping over to the next door down the hall and pushing it open.

"Daddy!"

Grant chuckles at the sight of his four year old daughter sitting up in the middle of her bed, surrounded by piles of stuffed animals. "Hey, Ava. What are you doing up already?"

"It's the Fourth of July, daddy," she says. "And we get to see Uncle Fitz and Uncle Mack and Auntie Lena and Lucia and lots of fireworks."

Grant smiles and nods. "You're right. But first, you need to get dressed and eat some breakfast."

"Okay." She climbs off of her bed and walks over to her dresser before turning to look at Grant. "Can I wear my dress mommy bought me? The one with the stars and stripes on it?"

"Of course you can." He moves over to the small closet and pulls open the door, finding the dress Ava wants and handing it to her. "Do you want me to help you get dressed?"

She takes the dress from him and shakes her head. "No thanks. I can do it."

He smiles. "Okay. I'll be out in the kitchen making breakfast when you're done."

"Okay, daddy."

Grant watches for a minute as Ava begins stripping herself of her pajamas and then makes his way out of the room and to the kitchen. He smiles at the sight of his wife standing at the stovetop, dressed in her sleep shorts and one of his t-shirts. He steps up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and drops a kiss to her exposed shoulder. "I thought you went back to sleep," he mutters.

"I tried. But I couldn't. Figured I'd get breakfast started for you since you were waking up the kids."

"Pancakes?" he asks.

She smiles and nods. "Of course."

"Good. That's what I told Adian I was making. I'll get the table set." He leans forward to kiss her lips before stepping away to pull the dishes out and set them on the table. "What time are the others getting here again?" Grant asks after a moment.

"Around four, I think," Skye replies. "I'll text Mack again after breakfast just to make sure."

"Daddy I need help with my shorts," Ava states as she enters the kitchen, her dress hiked up under her chin and her shorts on crooked.

Skye laughs quietly at the sight and steps away from the stove. "Come here, Ava-loo." She bends down and helps her daughter readjust her shorts before smiling at her and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "There you go."

Ava smiles. "Hi, mommy."

"Hi, baby. You hungry?"

Ava nods. "Yeah."

"Good. Breakfast is almost ready so go grab your brother."

"Okay." Ava turns around and runs out of the room, shouting for her brother as she does so.

Skye just laughs and shakes her head, standing up to finish setting the table while Grant finishes up the pancakes.

.

.

.

"Uncle Mack!" Ava shouts excitedly when she catches sight of the large man stepping through the front door of the house. She jumps up from her seat and darts across the living room floor, launching herself at her uncle's legs.

Mack chuckles and bends down to lift the young girl into his arms. "There's my favorite niece. How you doing, short stuff?"

"Happy Fourth!" she exclaims, wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him.

Mack smiles. "Happy Fourth to you too. Are you excited for the fireworks tonight?"

Ava nods. "Yeah."

"That is if she can even stay awake for the fireworks," Skye remarks from her place on the couch where she had been doing Ava's hair. "Ava, come back over here, baby. I need to finish your hair before we leave in a little while."

Ava sighs, looking just like her mother while doing so, and then slides down out of Mack's arms to walk back over to her mother. She folds her arms across her chest and sits back down on the small chair in front of Skye, leaning back.

"Thank you," Skye says, picking up the hairbrush again to run it through her daughter's long, dark brown locks. "I'm glad you guys are here, by the way," she says over her shoulder to Mack and Fitz. "The kids have been very excited to get to see you and hang out with you."

"We're excited to hang out with them too," Fitz tells her. "We love the little ones."

"I'm not little anymore, Uncle Fitz," Adian says as he walks out of his bedroom to join his family.

"You'll always be little to us, Adian," Fitz replies. "We remember the day you were born, you were so tiny."

"According to the lower half of my body he was not that tiny," Skye comments, twisting Ava's hair into a tight braid. "I was so damn sore afterward for so much longer than I would have liked to have been."

Adian's face scrunches up. "Gross, mom."

"Hey, I'm just telling it how I remember. It was all worth it in the end, though, to have my sweet baby boy in my arms," she says with a reminiscent smile on her face of the day Adian was born. "Where's Elena?" she asks Mack, switching subjects when she takes notice of the absence of one of her closest friends.

"Outside with Lucia," Mack answers.

Skye nods. "Ah." She ties off the end of her daughter's braid with an elastic band and then peers around to smile at the four year old. "All done. You may get up out of your chair now."

"Thanks, mommy." Ava smiles and gives her mom a kiss before jumping out of her chair and running over to her brother. "Adian, do you wanna play outside with me and Max?"

Adian smiles down at his sister. "Sure. Just let me put my shoes on."

"Ava, shoes for you as well, please, young lady," Skye says to her daughter, standing from her spot and moving around the couch to greet her friends. She pulls Fitz into a hug and then Mack. "I've missed you guys."

"We've missed you too, Tremors," Mack says with a smile. "Where's Grant?"

"He's already at the party," Skye tells them. "He went a little early to help out with the set up for the annual adoption fair for the animal shelter."

"Guess we'll just have to wait until the party to see him, then," Fitz says.

Skye nods. "Yes you will. How's Jemma doing, by the way?"

Fitz lets out a breath. "Good. I just wish she'd come around to the idea of you and Grant being together and having a family. It's been so long since you guys left."

Skye sighs. "I know. I wish she would too. I miss her. But we can't force her to accept something she isn't ready to accept. I'm just sorry that being here all the time puts such a strain on your relationship with her."

Fitz waves her off. "Don't be sorry. As much as I love Jemma, I love those two kids out there too, and you're like a sister to me, Skye, you're family. You don't just abandon family."

"Our whole team used to be a family," Skye remarks. "And look what happened to that."

It's quiet in the house for a moment, the laughter of the three kids outside drifting in through the open windows.

Skye takes a deep breath in and puts a smile on her face. "Well, I think that's enough of that. We have a party to get to."

"Yes we do," Mack says with a nod. "SUV's already loaded up with chairs and our addition to the potluck. You've got yours?"

"It's on the counter," Skye tells him. "Let me just go and grab it." She steps over to the counter in the kitchen and grabs the covered bowl, holding it securely in her arms before moving back to her friends, making sure to grab her bag off the back of the couch. She lets out a breath as she runs through the list in her head. "Okay. I think I'm all ready."

Fitz smiles. "Great. Let's go, then. We've got a party waiting for us."

.

.

.

"Dad, can I light these ones too?" Adian asks Grant as he holds up a medium-sized box of fireworks.

Grant smiles apologetically as he sets another large package of fireworks in its spot on the ground. "Sorry, bud, I think you're a little too young for that one. Maybe in a few years you can light it. Just stick with the sparklers and smaller fireworks for this year."

Adian sighs. "Fine." He sets the box back down on the ground and picks up a package of sparklers. "I'm gonna take these over to Ava and Lucia."

"Okay. Please be careful of the dogs when you're running around with those."

"I will," Adian calls back as he makes his way over to his younger sister and cousin.

"Adian!" Ava smiles wide when she sees her older brother, waving to him from her place on Mack's lap with Lucia.

"Hi Ava," Adian smiles back. "Do you want a sparkler?" he asks the two girls.

"Can I, papá?" Lucia asks Mack, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

Mack smiles and presses a kiss to her temple. "Sure. But please be careful. I don't need your mother getting after me because you got hurt while playing with a sparkler."

"I'll be careful." Lucia hops down off of her dad's lap and stops in front of Adian.

"Mom!" Ava shouts, getting Skye's attention from where she's catching up with Elena just a few chairs away. "Can I have a sparkler?"

"If you're careful," Skye tells her.

"Okay!" Ava slides off of Mack's lap and joins Lucia in front of Adian, both girls eagerly waiting to be handed a sparkler.

Adian pulls two sparklers out of the bag, handing one to Ava and one to Lucia before taking one for himself. Holding the lighter tightly in his other hand, he lights his own sparkler before using it to light Ava's and Lucia's sparklers.

The two girls' eyes immediately go wide as they smile, watching the sparklers light up in front of them.

"Thanks, Adian!" Ava yells as she and Lucia start to run around the open field.

Adian smiles as he watches his sister and cousin run off before following right behind them, Captain joining in on the fun and running alongside the three kids.

"I cannot believe how big they're getting," Elena remarks to Skye, watching as their children run around together.

Skye lets out a sigh. "Neither can I, if I'm honest. And I know it's such a cliché thing to say, but I swear it feels like just yesterday I was holding them in my arms for the first time. Now they're seven and four. Where did all the time go? Ava's going to be in kindergarten soon and I don't think I'll be able to handle having both my babies in school full time."

"Well you could always have another one," Elena tells her with a small smile.

Skye smiles and laughs, shaking her head. "While I would love to have another baby in the house, I don't think I could go through pregnancy and labor again. I swear I thought Grant was going to worry himself to death throughout my entire pregnancy with Ava. Max and Captain weren't much better either, those dogs hardly ever left my side. Thankfully nothing too bad happened, it just wasn't as easy going and smooth as Adian's was. Besides, I got my tubes tied right after Ava, so we couldn't have another one even if we wanted to."

"There is always adoption," Elena suggests.

Skye tilts her head in thought. "Hmm. Even though I was in the system, I hadn't even thought about adoption. It's definitely a good option if we decide we want another kid. What about you and Mack? Any plans to give Lucia a baby brother or sister anytime soon?"

"We have talked about it a few times, but nothing so far. Hopefully soon, though."

"Don't wait too long," Skye tells her. "Otherwise there will be way too big of an age gap and things could just be weird or awkward for one or both kids. Grant and I are just lucky there's only a seven year age gap with Adian and Ava. I wanted there to be a smaller gap, but the universe works how it wants to."

Elena smiles and nods her head. "Yes it does."

"Hey, where are the kids?" Grant asks as he rejoins the group, leaning down to give Skye a quick kiss before sitting in his chair next to her. He reaches down and runs his fingers through Max's fur, the German Sheppard letting out a content huff of air from where he lies on the grass next to the chair.

"They're running around somewhere with their sparklers," Skye tells her husband. "How much longer until the show starts?"

"Should be any minute now."

"Great. And I meant to ask you earlier how the adoption fair went. Any takers?"

Grant shrugs. "A few. Some of the older dogs got adopted out which is good, even though most of them don't have much time left," he says with a small frown.

Skye smiles at him and cups his cheek in her hand. "I love how much you care about those dogs. They're all very lucky to have you."

Grant smiles back. "They make going to work fun and easy."

She leans over to give him a quick kiss before turning her head out towards the open field. "Adian! Ava! Come over here, please!"

"Lucia!" Elena shouts as well to get her daughter's attention. "Ven aca mi hija."

A few seconds later, all three kids come running back towards their parents, Captain trailing right behind them, letting out a few excited barks.

"You guys ready to watch the fireworks?" Skye asks them.

Adian grins. "Yeah." He quickly moves over to his chair next to Fitz and sits down, leaning back as he engages his uncle in conversation.

"Can I sit with Uncle Mack?" Ava asks her parents.

"You don't want to sit with me or your dad?" Skye asks.

Ava shakes her head. "No."

Skye sighs. "Alright, go ahead."

Ava beams and then turns to climb up onto Mack's lap again, leaning back against him with her eyes glued to the dark sky above her as she waits for the fireworks to start.

"What about you, Lucia?" Elena asks her daughter.

"I wanna sit with dad, too," Lucia answers before turning around and joining her friend on her dad's lap.

"Well that's perfectly fine with me," Skye says. "Just means I don't have to worry about my kids and can just relax and watch the fireworks with my wonderful husband to keep me company." She smiles over at Grant and grabs his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Yes, you get to enjoy the time with your husband while mine has been taken from me by two small children," Elena remarks with the tiniest hint of a smile.

Skye laughs quietly at her friend.

Before anyone can say anything more, a loud pop is heard, followed by a beautiful display of colors in the sky, and then cheers and claps from everyone at the party as yet another Fourth of July show commences.

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 **So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

 **Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


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